Wrap a soft tape around your hand at the knuckles (thumb out), enter the number, and we will give you your numeric glove size plus where it lands on men's and women's letter charts. Glove sizes are secretly just inches, which makes this the most honest sizing system in your wardrobe.
Glove sizing is the system every other garment wishes it had. The number on the label is your hand's circumference in inches. That is it. No vanity drift, no regional reinvention, no decoder ring: a size 8 glove fits an 8 inch hand, in Ohio and in Milan. The only place it gets complicated is the letter sizes stitched into casual gloves, because the men's and women's letter charts sit about a size and a half apart. This page handles both.
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How to measure your hand
Use your dominant hand; it runs a touch larger and gloves come in pairs. Lay your hand flat, fingers together, thumb out of the way. Wrap a soft tape around the widest part, which is across the knuckles just below the fingers. Snug, not tight, and do not clench: a fist can add half an inch. If you only have a ruler, wrap a strip of paper around the knuckles, mark where it overlaps, and measure the strip.
The formula
glove size = hand circumference in inches, rounded to the nearest 1/2
(centimeters ÷ 2.54 first)
Circumference is the knuckle measurement described above. The rounding exists because gloves are made in half sizes; your hand does not owe anyone a round number.
Worked example
Your hand measures 8.7 inches around the knuckles. Rounded to the nearest half: 8.5, so you wear a size 8.5 glove. On the men's letter chart that is a Medium (8 to 8.5); on the women's chart the same hand is an XL. Same hand, same number, two letters, which is exactly why the number is the part worth remembering.
Letter size charts
| Numeric size (in) | Circumference (cm) | Men's letter | Women's letter |
|---|
| 6 | 15.2 | Below XS | XS |
| 6.5 | 16.5 | XS | S |
| 7 | 17.8 | XS | M |
| 7.5 | 19.1 | S | L |
| 8 | 20.3 | M | L |
| 8.5 | 21.6 | M | XL |
| 9 | 22.9 | L | XXL |
| 9.5 | 24.1 | L | XXL |
| 10 | 25.4 | XL | Above XXL |
| 10.5 | 26.7 | XL | Above XXL |
| 11 | 27.9 | XXL | Above XXL |
Brands nudge these bands by a half size in both directions. When a listing publishes its own chart, that chart wins.
Leather stretches, knit does not
The classic glove buying mistake is judging a leather glove by its first fitting. Quality leather stretches up to half a size across the palm and molds to your hand within a few weeks, which is why glovers traditionally sold leather gloves snug enough to take effort to pull on. Buy leather at the tight end of comfortable. Knit, fleece, and synthetic gloves do the opposite: what you feel in the store is what you get forever. And for winter and ski gloves, deliberately leave room; a thin layer of air inside the glove is insulation, and a tight winter glove presses that layer flat and freezes you.
Frequently asked questions
How do I measure my hand for gloves?
Wrap a soft measuring tape around your dominant hand at the widest part, which is across the knuckles, keeping your thumb out of the loop. Hold your hand flat and relaxed, not clenched. Read the tape snug but not tight. Your dominant hand runs slightly larger, and since gloves come in pairs, size to it.
What do glove size numbers mean?
A numeric glove size is your hand circumference in inches, rounded to the half inch. A size 8 glove fits a hand that measures 8 inches around the knuckles. Europe uses the same numbers (sometimes called French sizes), so a US 8 and an EU 8 are the same glove, which makes gloves rare among clothing categories: one number works worldwide.
What glove size is a men's medium?
On the most common men's chart, Medium covers sizes 8 to 8.5, which is a hand measuring 8 to 8.5 inches around the knuckles. Small covers 7 to 7.5, Large 9 to 9.5, and XL 10 to 10.5. Brands shift these bands by a half size in either direction, so when a product page lists its own chart, believe the chart.
Are men's and women's glove sizes different?
The numeric sizes mean the same thing (inches around the knuckles), but the letter mappings differ by about a size and a half. A 7 inch hand is a men's XS but a women's Medium. Women's gloves are also cut with narrower fingers at the same circumference. If you are between the two charts, the numeric size is the number to trust.
Should gloves fit tight or loose?
Snug at first. Leather gloves stretch up to half a size with wear and mold to your hand; a leather glove that fits perfectly new will fit loose in a month. Knit and fleece gloves hold their size. For ski gloves and work gloves, leave a little more room: a thin air gap is part of the insulation, and a tight winter glove is a cold glove.
What if my hand length and circumference give different sizes?
Size from circumference first, because a glove that is too narrow is unwearable while a slightly short or long finger is tolerable. If your fingers are notably long for your palm, look for brands that sell cadet sizes (wider, shorter fingers) or long-finger cuts rather than sizing the whole glove up.